CSA is NOT right for every person or every family. Here are some things you should consider before signing up for a CSA share.

Do you like to EAT vegetables? If you and your family do not routinely eat a lot of vegetables, getting a big box of vegetables every week might result in a lot of waste. If you want to create a new habit of eating fresh veggies, maybe try a half share or split your share with someone else.

Do you like to / know how to COOK fresh vegetables? And I mean more than potatoes, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Do you know what to do with a turnip? Kale? Chard? Kohlrabi?Beets? If you don’t already have a good grasp of cooking with fresh vegetables, you may want to make plans to boost your skills before signing up for a box. I find that even though I know how to cook with almost any vegetable, it sometimes is a challenge to find time to deal with a pile of chard or a bag of beets. Of course, some people like their CSA precisely because it DOES provide new / unique produce items that you can’t find anywhere else.

Are you willing to adjust your eating patterns depending on the season? Joining a CSA is going to make you intimately familiar with what is in season and when. Granted, you can always supplement from the grocery store, but it can be hard to want to spend more money on vegetables when your refrigerator is full of fresh CSA produce.

Can you pay for your vegetables up front? Most shares are between $200 and $500, depending on the farm, the number of weeks, and what is included. Many farms may allow you to make payments, but you are still paying for those groceries weeks or months before you receive them.

Can you pick up your box every week during the CSA season? Each CSA has a delivery / drop-off schedule, and if the schedule of a given farm doesn’t work for you, it probably isn’t a good option. Most CSAs consider that if you don’t pick up your box, you just don’t get it and are out the money. Some CSAs will go for 12 weeks, some for 20 weeks, some for 25 weeks or more. The CSA season and schedule will impact what you get and if it works for you.

How big is each share? What types of produce are included? Again, each CSA is different. Talk to the farmer before making a decision if it is unclear of how much produce to expect. They can also help you determine if your family might want a half share, a double share, or a regular size share. Many CSAs will also pass along unexpected bounty AND unexpected crop failures. The farm may be planning to provide you 5-10 types of vegetables every week, but the farm is weather dependent. You could end up with a week where all you get are a bunch of tomatoes, cucumbers, and mint rather than something more diverse. Also, some CSAs may be heavier in providing leafy greens, others may provide more root crops. You should think about what you would prefer.

You may have realized that joining a CSA may not be a great fit for you or your family right now…and that’s okay! You can share the information about our local CSAs with your friends or family members that might be interested. You can still support local farmers buy purchasing their products from other venues, including our great local farmers’ markets.

Maybe you have once or twice heard someone talk about a CSA. Like most acronyms, the name “CSA” doesn’t tell you much. To be honest, saying “Community Supported Agriculture” doesn’t help most people more than just saying CSA.

Example of a CSA share. Photo courtesy of Morning Harveste Farms.

From a consumer standpoint, a CSA is similar to a subscription service, where you get a “share” or a box of produce every week after paying an up-front price at the beginning of the growing season. You also get a closer relationship with “your” farmer and know exactly where your produce come from every week. Most CSAs work hard to give you a wide variety of produce at a great value, so it can save you money in the long run.

From a farmer standpoint, a CSA is a way to help manage the risk of the farm at a time when they don’t have much cash on hand. Farmers’ expenses are highest in the spring, exactly at the time of year when cash flow is the lowest. Most small produce farms don’t have great financing options, so by selling CSA shares, they have some cash on hand to pay for their expenses up front, rather than hoping that everything works out that season.

Of course, part of the deal of the CSA is that as a consumer, you are taking on a small portion of risk. If your CSA farm has a crop failure, it means that you may not get any peppers that season. You need to understand up front that there is some risk AND that your money isn’t just paying for vegetables, but for the value and benefit of having the small farm in your community a stronger local food system.

Many CSAs will offer their members additional benefits – things like farm newsletters, recipe ideas, farm tours, opportunities to volunteer, and more. Other CSAs may partner with other local farms to expand their offerings or be able to include things like eggs, bread, meats, or value-added goods.

National CSA Day is coming up on Friday, February 23, 2018, and most of our local CSAs are currently signing up new members. See the listings in the Local Food Directory to learn about our local CSAs. Or check out our Facebook Page, where we will be featuring more CSA information over the next few weeks!

Are you new to shopping at a farmers’ market? Or maybe you’ve been, but not very often.

Shopping at a farmers’ market is a learned skill, and the more you go, the better you will be. If you’ve never been (or only go a few times a year), it can be almost overwhelming to absorb. The signs (or lack thereof), colors, smells, displays, terminology, types of products…they can all be confusing and send the average shopper running for the safety of their favorite traditional grocery store! This is the start of a series about how to survive and WIN at farmers market shopping.

Before you go to the farmers’ market, you should understand that it can be very much like going to a regular store, only completely different. Here are some things to do in preparation for your visit.

Research the market (or market options). Beyond the obvious (when and where the market is held), you may also try to determine what vendors will or might be there and what is in season locally. You can check out our sidebar to see what is currently in season! If you are interested in the Old Town or Kansas Grown! markets, they both have websites that list their vendors. The Old Town market also has a neat feature that includes an interactive map of the vendors scheduled to be there that week. The Kansas Grown! website just has a vendor list, but each vendor does say what markets they usually attend. (It’s no guarantee they’ll be there any given week, however!) You can also track down the markets or individual vendors on social media to see when they might be available and what they are selling. My husband always has to check the Facebook page of his favorite baked goods vendor before we go, just to see what’s on the menu this week!

Make a list (just like grocery shopping). Even if you aren’t a dedicated grocery list user, it is wise to have some idea what you are looking for and what you are willing to pay before you go. Sometimes market prices are much higher than the grocery store and sometimes much less. The size bundles or packages may be different too. If you aren’t used to buying fresh produce or whole cuts of meat, you may want to be conservative the first time, until you are used to having them around. If you are shopping for meat – it comes frozen! This is a different experience if you are used to buying fresh meat at the grocery store and cooking it the same day.

Take along the right stuff (it makes you look like a regular). Here are a few things that you should plan to take along on your trip to the farmers’ market. Some of these might be obvious, but maybe not everything.

Your shopping list (sorry, I just had to mention it again)

A reusable bag or two or three. Most vendors will have plastic bags to put things in, but it is nice to have a reusable bag to corral everything. Extra bags are great during melon and sweet corn season!

Weather appropriate clothes / umbrellas. You don’t want to dress like you are just walking from your car to the grocery store. Dress like you are going to an outdoor sporting event for an hour or more. Check the weather forecast as you get ready! Especially in the early spring or the late fall, it may not seem that cold until you’ve been outside shopping for half an hour.

Cash. Many of the vendors are starting to use Square or another credit/debit card reader, but others still use primarily cash. The largest markets have a system in place where you can swipe your credit/debit card and get tokens to spend as well. I prefer to make sure I have enough cash to cover what I will likely purchase. Taking cash also prevents me from splurging on things I don’t need!

A cooler or insulated shopping bag. If it is warmer than about 50 degrees and sunny, anything that you have in the car will heat up quickly, especially if you have been carrying it around the market for an hour. In the summer, put ice packs in as well. This also allows you to head to the grocery store after your market stop and finish out your list or make another quick stop before heading home. (Or, if you are adventuresome, to visit another market too!)

A water bottle. Again, think of it like you are going to an outdoor sporting event. Many markets have free water, coffee, or things like that. I like to take my own though.

A camera. I know, it’s probably in your phone, and I know you won’t leave that at home. Chances are you will see something you want to remember or research later, so have your camera handy to record it.

Your smartphone. Right, I know. I don’t really need to tell you this. But if you need to research a recipe on the fly or look something up, it is handy!

(All the kid stuff.) We take our kids to the market with us. It is just part of our family culture – what we do on Saturday morning. That said, we have to haul all the kid stuff. An extra water bottle or two is helpful, diaper bag and stroller if you have littles. (And let me tell you, a nice stroller doubles as an excellent farmers’ market shopping cart!) I try to avoid taking extra toys or snacks because they just end up on the ground.

So…are you ready to make your first foray out to a local farmers’ market? What did I miss? Are there other things that a new market shopper should do or plan to take before their first trip? What are your tricks for making a trip to the farmers’ market an enjoyable part of your weekly routine?

Farmers’ Market season has started here in Wichita! By the time the season is in full swing, there will be a range of markets available to hungry shoppers around the area, including weekday, weeknight, and Saturday markets, and Wichita and non-Wichita markets.

If you would like to view a calendar listing of when the markets are held, you can view it on the Farmers Market Calendar tab above. If you would like to see a list of the different markets with the market manager contact information, visit the KSRE-Sedgwick County website.

At this time in April, there are just the two Saturday markets open: Kansas Grown!-West Wichita and the Old Town Farmers’ Market. Both markets have a range of vendors and products available. Both markets have also updated their websites in the past couple years. It’s another great way to learn about local vendors and what’s available! By the first week in May, many of the weekday or weeknight markets will be starting, as well as the Kansas Grown!-Derby market at the new Madison Avenue Central Park.

If you are curious about what is in season, you can check out a new feature on our sidebar, under “What’s In Season Now?” This will be updated regularly, so if you see something available locally that isn’t listed, just let me know so I can add it!